fossilfandomcom-20200214-history
Dollosuchus
Dollosuchus is an extinct genus of gavialidCarroll, R. L. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. WH Freeman and Company, New York ISBN 0-7167-1822-7. It is a basal tomistomine closely related to Kentisuchus, according to several phylogenetic analyses that have been been conducted in recent yearsJouve, S. (2004). Etude des crocodyliformes fini Crétace−Paléogène du Bassin de Oulad Abdoun (Maroc) et comparaison avec les faunes africaines contemporaines: systématique, phylogénie et paléobiogéographie. Ph.D. thesis. 652 pp. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris, Paris.Delfino, M., Piras, P., and Smith, T. (2005). Anatomy and phylogeny of the gavialoid crocodylian Eosuchus lerichei from the Paleocene of Europe. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50:565–580.Brochu, C. A. (2007). Systematics and taxonomy of Eocene tomistomine crocodylians from Britain and Northern Europe. Palaeontology 50(4):917-928, and is the oldest known tomistomine to date. Fossils have been found from Belgium and the United KingdomSwinton, W. E. (1937). The crocodile of Maransart (Dollosuchus dixoni Owen). Mémoires du Musée d’Histoire Naturelle de Belgique 80:1–44.. It had large supratemporal fenestrae in relation to its orbits, similar to Kentisuchus and Thecachampsa''Piras, P., Delfino, M., Del Favero, L., and Kotsakis, T. (2007). Phylogenetic position of the crocodylian ''Megadontosuchus arduini and tomistomine palaeobiogeography. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52(2):315-328. Dollosuchus was originally described on the basis of numerous mandibular fragments found from the Early to Middle Eocene Bracklesham Beds in the United Kingdom. The material cannot be distinguished from other related longirostrine, or long-snouted, crocodiliansBrochu, C. A. (2007). Systematics and taxonomy of Eocene tomistomine crocodylians from Britain and Northern Europe. Palaeontology 50(4):917-928. The type specimen, IRScNB 482, is currently housed in the Gand Museum in BelgiumPiras, P., Delfino, M., Del Favero, L., and Kotsakis, T. (2007). Phylogenetic position of the crocodylian Megadontosuchus arduini and tomistomine palaeobiogeography. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52(2):315-328. Species The type species of Dollosuchus is D. dixoni. Many other species that once belonged to other genera have been proposed as members of the genus, but little work has been published to support these claims. Charactosuchus kugleri, another Eocene crocodilian, has been suggested to be synonymous with Dollosuchus''Domning, D. P. and Clark, J. M. (1993). Jamaican Tertiary marine Vertebrata. ''In: R.M. Wright and E. Robinson (eds.), Biostratigraphy of Jamaica. Geological Society of America Memoir 182:413–415, but this is no longer likely due to the fact that C. kugleri is now thought to be a member of the family Crocodylidae, and thus closer related to modern crocodiles than to gharials. It has been suggested that Kentisuchus spenceri, Megadontosuchus arduini, and Dollosuchus dixoni are all synonymous with one another. If this is the case, the name Dollosuchus would be adopted for all three genera, as the name has seniority over the other two. Despite this, the three taxa would remain their own distinct speciesBrochu, C. A. (1997). Phylogenetic Systematics and Taxonomy of Crocodylia. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. 467 pp. University of Texas, AustinBrochu, C. A. (2001). Congruence between physiology, phylogenetics, and the fossil record on crocodylian historical biogeography. In: G. Grigg, F. Seebacher, and C.E. Franklin (eds.), Crocodilian Biology and Evolution, 9–28. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Sydney. References External links *[http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=38443&is_real_user=1 Dollosuchus] in the Paleobiology Database Category:Gavialidae Category:Paleogene crocodylomorpha Category:Prehistoric reptiles of Europe